Cryostat sectioning

From:

Vanessa Heim <heimvk@bu.edu>

Thank you to everyone that has repsonded to my problem of sections
falling off the slides during staining. I actually have another problem
that I have been encountering quite frequently...I seem to have trouble
consistently getting great sections. Some days the sections are
beautiful and otherdays I destroy the tissue block just trying to get a
few good sections. We are using a cryostat machine now and was
wondering if anyone had some advice for me on this issue. I have tried
changing the angle of the knife, I have changed the blade on several
occasions..I even freeze the tissue before sectioning and use a freeze
spray during the procedure to keep the sample cool. Is there a special
way to freeze the samples before cutting or protocols available
specifically for processing/freezing tissues specifically for the
cryostat??? I have looked online and haven't come up with anything too
substaintial. Like I said earlier this is all new to me so any help
would be greatly appreciated.
Vanessa Heim
Boston University Medical Center
Research-Dept Urology/Surgery
Boston VA Hospital
Boston, MA 02130